ecosystem resilience and threshold response in the galápagos coastal zone沿海地区生态系统弹性和阈值响应在加拉帕戈斯群岛.pdfVIP

Ecosystem Resilience and Threshold Response in the ´ Galapagos Coastal Zone 1 1,2 3 4 1,5 Alistair W. R. Seddon *, Cynthia A. Froyd , Melanie J. Leng , Glenn A. Milne , Katherine J. Willis 1 Long-Term Ecology Laboratory, Biodiversity Institute at the Oxford Martin School, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2 Department of Geography, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom, 3 NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, United Kingdom, 4 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, Marion Hall, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 5 Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway Abstract Background: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides a conservative estimate on rates of sea-level rise of 3.8 mm yr21 at the end of the 21st century, which may have a detrimental effect on ecologically important mangrove ecosystems. Understanding factors influencing the long-term resilience of these communities is critical but poorly ´ understood. We investigate ecological resilience in a coastal mangrove community from the Galapagos Islands over the last 2700 years using three research questions: What are the ‘fast and slow’ processes operating in the coastal zone? Is there evidence for a threshold response? How can the past inform us about the resilience of the modern system? Methodology/Principal Findings: Palaeoecological methods (AMS radiocarbon dating, stable carbon isotopes (d13C)) were used to reconstruct sedimentation rates and ecological change over